Internet2, the advanced network developed for "important" academic research is now the subject of much talk after the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) filed 405 copyright infringement lawsuits against students at 18 different U.S. universities who are accused of downloading pirated music and movies using a file-sharing application known as i2hub with Internet2. The universities include the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, Michigan State University, the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Southern California. The RIAA said "Students find i2hub especially appealing because they mistakenly believe their illegal file-sharing activities can't be detected in the closed environment of the Internet2 network."
I2Hub advertises itself as the "largest student community in the world, with hundreds of thousands of users." Founder Wayne Chang said in a statement that i2Hub "does not condone activities and actions that breach the rights of copyright owners."
RIAA believes another 140 schools may be involved as well. "While these schools were not included in the initial round of lawsuits, letters are being sent to each university president alerting them to the illegal activity occurring on their campus," said an RIAA statement.
Internet2 speeds are estimated to be 20,000 times faster than an average broadband connection, says Internet2 CEO Douglas Van Houweling. WOW
"This next generation of the Internet is an extraordinarily exciting tool for researchers, technologists and many others with valuable legitimate uses," said Cary Sherman, President, RIAA. "Yet, we cannot let this high-speed network become a zone of lawlessness where the normal rules don't apply
The technologies developed in Internet2 will gradually be transferred to the original Internet, making it faster and more stable. The goal is to "create the next-generation Internet," says network director Brian Buege of the University of Missouri-Rolla. I can't wait
